Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1887-10-20
CHATSWORTH REPEATED.
A Passenger Train Dashed Into and
Many Killed and Injured.
Four Coaches and n sleeper Set on Fire
--.I'articuiars OF the Terrible
Wreck ON the q. & A. Road.

CmcAao, Oct. IA special to the
evening Journal from North Judson, Ind. !,
says: Another Chatsworth railroad horror
occurred on the Chicago & Atlantic road
this morning, sixty miles east of Chicago,
near kouts station. Seventeen passengers
were killed and buried up In the wreck
and from twenty five TO thirty were more
or less injured. A'heavy fresh meat train
telescopcd the evening accommodation
train, the New York express, which
leaves Chicago at TAO p. m. The nc
commodation, with one baggage car, two
coaches and and sleeper, had stopped at
the water tank for water about one mile
west Of Kouts and the freight train fol-
lowing crashed into the sleeper telescop,
ing and burning up the entire passenger
train as above stated. William Perry,
Auditor of this stark county, and his
wife and child were victims of this ter
rible fire, which broke out almost i'm.
mediately after the train crashed in among
the passengers. Not particle Of their
bodies were rescued from the flames.
The entire responsibility appears to rest
on the engineer Of the freight train. At
this writing the flames of the other killed
and wounded cannot be ascertaiped.
Hours, Oct, 1.-THE worst horrors Of
the Chatsworth disaster were duplicated
here to day. A dozen blood stained and
smoke begrimed injured victims Of rail
road carelessness or laundering were
brought into the little station house early
this morning, and this afternoon nine
charred corpses, victims of the same
affair." were laid upon the station plat.
form, while three miles west, down the
track of the Chicago II Atlantic road,
piles Of fearfully tangled debris mark the
spot where collision seldom equalled
for the terrible results had occurred Ac-
cording to the best estimates obtainable,
for only an estimate is obtainable, fully
thirty human lives have been sacrificed
outright and half that number Of persons
suffered injuries more or less serious. The
east-bound express that left Chicago last
night with great load Of passengers had
without moments warning. during q
temporary wait, been smashed into from
behind by n heavily loaded fast freight
plunging madly forward in the darkness,
bent in beating all competition in hurry
ing dressed meat to the markets of the
seaboard. Some part of the machinery
of the engine had been thrown out Of
order during the run from Chicago. A
triiling stop at q water tank would make
all right, II was thought, and the stop
was accordingly made Suddenly out Of
the darkness behind came the flash of a
headlight, the rush and rattle Of many
wheels. and then mighty crash Just
as at Chatswofth. the sleeping coach now
got in its deadly work. The massive
framework of the sleeper was transform
al t,,t,, .hnI l,a,
ly forward by the freight, it crushed into
the cars forward, smashing their com
paratively light timbers and making the
work OF destruction complete, The
wreck quickly took fire, and the sight of
the shrieking victims and dancing flames
was one never to be forgotten.
Another account says: When the flames
had spent their fury, hundred men ex-
amined the wreck and began the search
for the bodies. But one dead body re-
manned untouched by the fire. This was
the body of the man supposed by the
railroad officials to have been q tramp
stealing ride on the freight train. His
head and breast were crushed to pulp.
In the ruins of the day coach the bodies
of nine persons were found. .-
A sickning pile of ashes and flesh lay
near the front end, although fingers and
even thigh bones were picked up near the
center of the coach. This leads many to
believe that at least 10 and perhaps 20
persons lost their lives. AS fast as bodies
were discovered they were borne to the
prairie, where, under the glare of immense
brush fires they were piled upon the yell
low grass and autumn leaves. The
wounded, numbering II, were taken to
the village hotel. Without single ex-
ception all were injured about the head.
Before ii was yet daylight men with
teams picked up the bodies and placing
them in rough pine box bore them to
the village, where they were placed in a
baggage car and the coroner's inquest
held The hatful of bones, all that re-
manned of the Perry family, was removed
to North Judson this morning.